This disclosure relates to a method and apparatus for linking digital images to radio frequency identification (RFID) devices. More particularly, it relates to a method and system for the configuration of mapping digital images to a digital camera and a digital image delivery system.
While the disclosure is particularly directed to the art of linking RFIDs to individual digital images, especially where digital cameras have the capabilities to handle such linking, either through attached RFID readers or through RFID readers connected through the universal serial bus (USB) and thus will be described with specific reference thereto, it will be appreciated that the example embodiments disclosed herein may have other useful fields of application. For example, the teaching of the disclosure may be used for the linking of general media devices to RFIDs.
By way of background, RFID is an automatic identification method that uses radio frequency to transmit identification data to a reader. One major advantage of RFID is that there is no line of sight requirement. The transmitter can be read by a reader whenever the transmitter is in a sufficient proximity to the reader.
There has been a trend among photographers to use digital photography equipment. This has particularly been the case among professional contract photographers that work venues such as wedding halls, cruise ships and amusement parks. During cruises and in amusement parks, these photographers typically take pictures, print them and load them on to a viewing area, such as a centrally located wall, where people interested in purchasing the pictures may search through the pictures and purchase the ones that interest them. However, many people do not have their pictures taken, because they do not want pictures of themselves on general display. When people do agree to have their picture taken, but do not purchase them, the photographers create a large amount of waste. In this regard, they expend recourses printing photos that will never be purchased and, oftentimes are never viewed. Furthermore, photographers may be in possession of pictures or picture images that a customer may be interested in purchasing; however, photographers often times do not have access to these potential customers. These photographers may use paper identification and/or tagging systems in order to link an individual to their particular photo and/or set of photos. However, with traditional methods, the linking may take a considerable amount of time and organization.
Therefore, there is a need in the industry for an improved system and method that links a potential customer to their set of photographs that they may be interested in purchasing. Furthermore, there is a need for such a system and method to allow for high accessibility for the potential customers. In addition, the system and method must allow photographers to quickly link the potential customers to their individual set of photos and further restrict the general public from having access to these very same digital images.
The present disclosure contemplates a new and improved system and method for resolving the above-referenced difficulties and others.